If You Can't Kill Him, Kiss Him
by Spad3z
Summary: The world goes to hell and somehow three idiots find love in each other. (Full summary in first chapter!) Zombie/Futuristic AU!
1. The Fall

The world goes to hell and somehow three idiots find love in each other.

Monkey D. Luffy, escaped from a government research facility, leads his fellow inmates on a grand adventure of survival and stopping a plot of world domination.  
Sanji Vinsmoke was a famous chef who learned the true meaning of sacrifice and survival. When he meets an idiot, who somehow convinces him to be his personal chef (even though there's a Zombie apocalypse going on!), he realizes that not all things are lost and that you can find love in the funniest of places.  
Zoro Roronoa has been living with his family peacefully since the virus broke out. Once things start to fall apart and his sanity is tested, will two helping hands bring him back from the brink of self destruction?

* * *

It was a humid, wet day in the city of Ohara. Tall metal and concrete Skyscrapers obstructed the view of the sun, causing the city to be drowned in darkness. One building in particular held the large bright blue logo of the Kaigun Corporation which clashed with the slick black color of the building. It had no windows and no doors, except for a large grey garage opening that cars would drive into.

On this day, two men were talking in whispers in a small meeting room deep inside the building. The walls were painted a deep blue. In the middle of the room was an oval table. The two men sat across from each other, one was named Sakazuki and the other Sengoku.

Sakazuki leaned closer to his companion and in a hushed voice ask, "How are the test subjects? I heard there was quite the fiasco last night."

The other grimaced "Damn brats managed to escape. There is hardly any of them left here. Thankfully we still have plenty at the other bases. I told Garp to keep an extra close eye on them, but did he listen? No!"

"Shhh! Do you want anyone to hear us? You know the walls have ears." Sakazuki complained.

Sengoku huffed, "You know. He probably let them escape. His grandson was in the group that got away, Group S and a few from Group H"

Sakazuki looked annoyed. "Damn. They were the strongest too… Garp is a bastard, but he is loyal to Kaigun. Do you really think he would betray us? After we promised to save that boy?"

The other thought for a moment before replying. "No, your right. It was foolish of me to think otherwise. We do have to do something about this thought. The higher ups are not happy. There pressuring me to up the date of the operation. Those kids stole some very sensitive material before they escaped and they want the operation to happen before any of it makes it into the wrong hands."

Sakazuki grimaced. "I understand the operation is important, but do they really think those kids can do anything about it? They will all probably die without the drugs we give them before they can do anything."

"Look, all I know is that the operation is supposed to happening in a week. The virus is in its last testing phase and should be ready to be produced in two days. After that we have 5 days to distribute it around the globe. Everything is going to be really crazy around here from now on, so just keep doing your job. Let other people worry about anything else." With that Sengoku stood up from his chair and walked towards the office room door. "Make sure not to miss your shuttle. You don't want to be stuck in the city when shit goes down. I'll see you at the Haven." He left without another word leaving Sakazuki to his thoughts.

Were going to bring hell to earth, but after justice will reign supreme. We will make this world into a better place, even if we have to destroy it to do so…

* * *

 **30 Days Later**

The world was in chaos. Cities were burned to the ground. People were fighting for their lives on every street. Bombs were set off, taking out entire cities and even some small countries. A massive amount of outbreaks fell upon the world in the first few hours of the viruses release, only the incubation period made it impossible for anyone to know. In the first few days, the police were called over and over about people going crazy and going on killing sprees. When those officers that were sent out stoped coming back, reports of death and mayhem all over the streets were called in, the armies and CDC's of the world stepped in.

Within 5 days, the virus started to spread even more quickly than its creators imagined. CDC scientist's start reporting information on the virus to the public, but it's still too late to stop what was happening. The CDC officially named the virus, Crystallum Cerebrum Virus or CCV for short. At the 10 day mark, small cities and towns started to fall. Nothing could stop the hordes of manic, psychotic people from ripping apart their friends and family. By 24 days, the screams stopped. Only the dead roamed the streets freely. Anyone still alive were either holed up in hiding, lived so far from any big population that they remained safe, or were in one of the many Havens scattered around the globe. At 30 days, Kaigun scientists approximate that 3/4th of the world population was infected.

* * *

 **13 Months Later**

"Hey! Zoro! Come here! We got another one." yelled Kunia.

Zoro immediately dropped his weights on the ground, picked up his swords and ran to the front yard of the dojo. He went up to his sister then stopped to get his swords in order.

"I get to kill it right? Dad said I could kill them for my birthday." He asked.

Kunia nodded then pointed to a roamer shuffling down the road only a few yards to the front gate of the dojo. "Yeah, yeah birthday boy. You get to do it. I think that's Mr. Kagome. I can't really tell."

"Mr. Ka- wait! Do you mean that old pervert that runs the energy station?" Zoro questioned.

His sister nodded. "Yeah. It looks like him sorta. Who ever it is is wearing a station uniform. Anyway. Are you going to go kill that thing or do I need to do it?"

"Shut up! I'm going. Your such a pain in the ass. I thought people were supposed to be nice to you on your birthday..." Zoro grumbled as he made his way down the driveway to the front gate.

"I love you too, baby brother!~" Kunia replied sweetly.

Zoro huffed and pulled out one of his swords. Once he got to the gate he shook the chain holding to two gate doors together to catch the roamers attention. "Oi! Stinky. Get your ass over here so I can kill you!"

Said stinky roamer shuffled slowly towards Zoro. Once it got about two feet from the gate, Zoro slipped his sword through a slot between the bars of the gate and plunged it into the roamers head. He heard the telltale twin crunch of his sword piercing the skull then crystallized brain. The roamer fell to the ground in a heap and Zoro thought who ever's body that was would be at peace now. Zoro pulled back his sword then flicked it towards the ground. Blood and bile spattering on the grass next to him. Zoro returned his sword to his sheath and strode up the driveway.

"You think you're hot shit don't you? You'll still never beat me, baby brother." Kunia taunted.

Zoro growled and flicked his sister off. "You want to go? We can fight right now and I'll make you eat those words!"

"Calm down! Dad's not even here. I'll kick your ass when he gets back."

"Che, whatever. I'm going inside." Zoro grunted as he walked into the dojo.

Kunia sighed and sat on grass below her. _Stupid brother…_

Zoro climbed the stairs to the second floor then slid the door to his room open. He closed it behind him then fell onto his bed. He was tired of losing to his sister, but they rarely got to fight anymore. Ever since those stupid roamers showed up, Dad would keep saying 'there are more important things than fighting your sister! ' Zoro was just pissed, like he didn't know that already! There's nothing wrong with wanting to let off some steam when his life has become a giant pile of shit!

The necrotics were worse than the roamers but he hadn't see one of those in months. He figured his father would of chilled out since they haven't been showing up, but no! At the same time, Zoro did understand why his Dad was so uptight. Everyone was dead. That stupid CCV wiped out all of humanity.

Zoro grimaced at the thought. There had to be other people out there. His father never mentioned running into anyone on his searches though. Sometimes Zoro just wanted to go look for himself. Was it really that bad out there? The tv and internet stopped working after a week or so after the virus started. There was no way to get news about the outside world at all.

Zoro rolled over onto his stomach and closed his eyes. _Why does it have to be like this? How did this happen?_ They were questions Zoro desperately wanted to know the answers to, but he knew he would probably never know. The little information he did know, did not comfort him at all. The last broadcast on tv, replayed on a loop on every station for a few days. It was what he learned all he knew from. He watched that stupid thing so many times he had memorized every word.

 _"People of the United Americas, no people of Earth. This may just be the last message we can provide you so please, listen well. Our scientists have been working around the clock to find a cure for the CCV, but have made no real progress yet. It pains me to say that we do not know if we will have enough time and resources to come up with a cure before all of the world is infected. What we do know is this: This virus affects the brain. It causes the brain and spinal cord to crystallize which kills the host, but lets the virus control the host's virus can be spread through saliva and blood. Which means if you are bitten by a carrier or have an open wound that comes in contact with an infected person's blood, you may have contracted the virus. From what we have been able to see there are two stages to the virus. The first stage is when the virus first takes over the host's body. We call newly infected, Necrotics. They are fast and extremely aggressive. Symptoms of a Necrotic are: moaning, screaming, green tinge to skin, white leakage from ears, and violent behavior . Necrotics are the most dangerous, so please keep your distance or kill them on site. After about 3 days, the next stage of the virus sets in. We call second stage hosts, Roamers. Rigamortis sets into the body causing the host to move with slow, jerky movements. These 'Roamers' as the name suggest, roam around without any real destination, but tend to head toward populated areas. While it may be easy to run from Roamers, they group together into large hordes making it harder to escape. Symptoms of a Roamer are: Pale or purple skin, moaning, grunting & clicking sounds. Skin decay, blood & bile oozing from orifices and a rancid smell. Please be wary of these Roamers and do not get close if you see a hor-. Shit._

*Gunshots and screaming in the background*

 _Listen closely. Stay in doors, do not go outside unless you have too. Make sure to borde up any windows and doors to keep any infected outside. Infected are attracted to lights and noise. Keep a weapon on you at all times. I-_

*Someone shouts in the background they have to leave*

 _Ok! Ok! Stay safe. May God have mercy on us all._

*Cuts to black then message repeats*

Zoro shakes his head, trying to forget how hollow the man in the message looked. He couldn't help but wonder if the man made it out of there alive. Who ever he was he looked important, so he hoped the man survived.

Zoro rolled onto his side to look out his bedroom window. Wooden planks covered most of it, but he could see the clear blue sky between the cracks. He watched small pieces of clouds drift by until his eyelids grew heavy. Eventually his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

* * *

"Zoro! Zoro, WAKE UP!" Kunia yelled as she shook her brother awake.

Zoro rubs his eyes and slowly sits up on his bed. "What the fuck, Kunia. What do you-"

"Shut up! Dad just got back and he's hurt or something! I need your help! Get up! Get up!" she screams as she pulls him off the bed by his arm.

Zoro is now wide awake and stumbling after his sister. She leads him downstairs then outside where there father is lying down on the front porch of the dojo. As soon as Zoro sees him he rushes over and starts checking him for bite marks.

"Dad?! What happened? Did you get bitten?!" Zoro questions in a fury.

Zoro's father, Koshiro opens his eyes slowly and looks up at his children. "No… Not bitten. Just tired. H-had to run and hurt... my ankle. Horde... coming this way." He says breathlessly.

"A horde?!" Kunia exclaims.

Zoro pauses for a moment. A horde? None have come by since the virus started… "Dad, How far is it? Will we be safe here?"

Koshiro nods. "We should be fine. Just need to reenforce the front gate. To be safe, each of you pack a bag. Zoro get me into the house. Kunia, start on the gate. I'll send Zoro out in a minute."

"Yes, father. Zoro… Take care of Dad." She said as she walked behind the dojo to gather supplies for the gate.

Zoro made quick work of helping his father to his feet and taking him inside. Koshiro had to direct Zoro to his room, but they made it there without Zoro getting lost. When they entered the room Koshiro pointed to the bed and Zoro sat him down on it.

"Get me some bandages. I need to wrap up my ankle before it starts swelling any more."

Zoro nodded and retreated into the master bathroom and brought out a first aid kit. He took out some stretchy brown bandages, and wrapped his father's foot as his father did for him many times.

"So are you going to tell me exactly what happened out there?" Zoro asked.

Koshiro stared at Zoro for a moment before sighing. "It's nothing for you to be concerned about. We just-"

"Nothing for me to be concerned about?! Are you fucking kidding me?! The whole world has gone to shit. You can't keep hiding stuff from me. I'm not a kid anymore, why can't you trust me?" Zoro complained. He was pissed. Why couldn't his father just tell the truth?

"Zoro… You're still a child. You wouldn't understand." Koshiro replied.

"That's bullshit and you know it. I'm 16 now. I have been dealing with this virus just as long as you have. I'm not some immature kid, I can handle anything. I am strong!" he argued.

"Watch your language!" Koshiro sighed and rubbed his face with one hand. "Fine. Sit down. I will tell you what I know."

Zoro sat down on the floor quickly and stared at his father with a determined face. His father didn't say anything for a while, but Zoro waited.

"There are other survivors. Most I have seen are from Kaigun Corp. The others are all Devil fruit users. From what I can see people who have eaten a devil fruit are not affected by the virus. I saw one man get bitten and he didn't even look upset. More annoyed that he would have to waste supplies on cleaning his wound. I followed him for a few hours and he showed no signs of the virus. As for Kaigun Corp… We must keep away from them. I saw they capture some devil fruit users. I'm not sure what they are doing with them, but it can't be anything good. I have the feeling that Kaigun has something to do with this virus. They are too well prepared. When I see them they have full body armor and those weird new age weapons. That's all I really know about other survivors, but about today... When I saw the horde heading our direction, I ran. The horde has a few necrotics, so it took a lot of running to get away, but I'm pretty sure we will be safe. Honestly that's all I know, Zoro." Koshiro said seriously.

Zoro's face was scrunched in concentration. It wasn't much information, but he did learn two very important things. Devil fruit users probably can't be turned into roamers or necrotics and that Kaigun Corp is dangerous.

"Ok, thank you for tell me, father." Zoro said as he stood up. "You need to rest. I'm going to go help Kunia with the gate and then we'll pack our bags. Do you need anything before I go?"

Koshiro shook his head, "Just make sure to bring in my bag from the porch if Kunia hasn't already."

Zoro nodded then headed outside, leaving his father to his thoughts. Once Zoro was outside he looked around for his sister. When he couldn't see her, he figured that she was still around back. He started to walk towards the side of the dojo, but before he could Kunia appeared around the corner.

"Oh, there you are. Took you long enough!" Kunia complained.

"Shut up. So what do I need to do?"

"Go around back and bring as many cinder blocks to the gate as you can. We're just going to pile them up against the gate. Hopefully that will be enough to deter and roamer from trying to get in. We should be fine as long as there's no light on and we don't make any noise." She explained.

Zoro grunted in reply and headed around back. Once he got to the large pile of cinder blocks, he grabbed as many as he could (which was a lot) and took them up front. At the gate he dropped them so his sister could arrange them and headed back from more.

After three trips back and forth, Kunia told him they had enough, so he helped her pile them up against the gate like a wall. As they worked they discussed what their father told Zoro. To Zoro's dismay, the news was nothing new to his sister. Once they finished they headed back into the dojo to pack a bag of necessities. Zoro grabbed his father's pack and brought it inside before heading up to his room. Kunia went to check on her father first before packing hers.

Zoro didn't pack much. A couple of his favorite outfits, including a few extra haramaki. His favorite forest green robe and dark green pants. He also included his extra hygiene supplies and a sword cleaning kit. As a last thought, he grabbed a photo frame from his night stand. He took the photo out from behind the glass and tucked the photo between some t-shirts. After zipping up his black duffel bag, he placed it by his bedroom door and headed down stairs.

It was getting dark outside, as the dojo was losing light by the second. Zoro slipped into his pre-night routine and closed all the curtains over the windows, even though there wasn't many. He locked the front door and placed a long wooden plank across it, making it so nothing could enter. After he was done with that, he shuffled towards the kitchen. It took him fifteen minutes to find it. God damn hallways always moving! What's the point of moving hallways anyway?!

Once he reached the kitchen, it was too dark to see properly. He fumbled around the kitchen until he found a laterne on the counter. He quickly twisted the little dial on the front, and a small ball of energy lit the room. Zoro then sat down at the kitchen table and waited for the rest of his family to join him. They always ate dinner right after dark.

Zoro ended falling asleep at the table and was awoken when he heard a loud banging noise. he instantly shot up and grabbed at one of the swords at his side. He stood completely still, ears straining to hear the noise again. After a moment he heard his father call out to him and his sister.

"Zoro? Kunia? What was that?"

Zoro slowly walked out of the kitchen and towards his father's voice.

"Dad?"

"Zoro? Where are yo- Oh! There you are. Where's your sister?" Koshiro asked.

Zoro shrugged his shoulders before offering his arm to his father for support. Koshiro bowed his head slightly in thanks and grabbed his son's arm. Zoro lead the way towards where he heard the sound. Taking them out of the small hallway and into the day room.

"Kunia? Kunia, where are you?" Koshiro called.

There was no answer and Zoro started to get worried. Kunia always answered there father. She had too much respect for him to ignore him. As they kept pushing forward, Zoro suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck rise, making him freeze in place.

Koshiro looked at his son questionly. "What is it?"

Zoro shook his head before turning towards his father. "Dad. Stay here… I'm going to go check upstairs."

His father looked like he was going to refuse before nodding his head and letting go of his son's arm. He leaned against the wall for support and watched Zoro slip out of the day room towards the main hall.

Silence overwhelmed the room before he heard his son's booming voice. "Kunia!" Zoro yelled.

Koshiro grew pale and hobbled as fast as he could to the main hall. He looked around and saw Zoro crouched by bottom of the stair case.

"Zoro… What-" Koshiro froze when his eyes fell upon his daughter's form sprawled on the floor. He slowly stepped forward until he was standing just behind Zoro. He looked at his daughter and saw her her thrown back, neck twisted to the side in an inhumanly angel. In that moment he knew; his daughter was dead.

Zoro slowly looked up at his father, tears threatening to spill over his eyes. "D-dad… She's… I don't understand. How could… How…"

Koshiro had no words. He didn't understand it himself. Tears ran down his cheeks as he looked down at his distraught son. Zoro started to sob quietly as he turned to look at his sister once again. Koshiro put his hand on Zoro's shoulder and they stood there in silence, both mourning the loss of a loved one. After what seamed like hours, but could of been a few minutes, Koshiro spoke.

"Zoro."

Zoro looked up at his father once again, eyes bloodshot and tears dried on his face.

"We can't just leave her there… We need. We need to move her. Take her into the day room and lay her on the sofa. I will get a blanket from my bedroom. We will have to bury her tomorrow. It's too late tonight." his father said softly.

Zoro stared at him for a moment before moving on autopilot. He was completely numb on the inside, barely functioning on the outside. He picked up his sister with great care, holding her close to his chest and brought her into the day room. He placed her on the plush brown couch and kneeled down beside her. He removed the sword hooked on her belt and pushed the hair from her face. He felt tears fall down his cheeks once again. _Stop… STOP! I need to be strong. I can't lose it right now, but… Oh god. Why?! How did this happen? How could Kunia be dead! She promised me! She promised and now she is dead!_ Thoughts ran through Zoro's head a mile a minute. He didn't even notice his father's come into the room and him placing a blanket over Kunia's body.

Kushiro watched his son for a moment before kneeling down beside him. He wasn't a very affectionate man, but he felt the need to hold his son. So he pulled Zoro into an awkward embrace, but Zoro didn't mind. He was thankful. Both of them kept to themselves for the most part, both men of little words and neither could think of anything comforting to say.

Eventually Koshiro released his son and went to his room after convincing Zoro to do the same. Zoro barely made it up to his bedroom without stumbling. The extreme shock and stress over losing his sister was taking a great toll on his body, making him feel weak and tired. He laid down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He felt depressed and the fact that Kunia had broke their promise (even if by accident) was heartbreaking by itself.

Zoro shook his head. No, even if she is not here... He will have her keep her promise. He would become the world's greatest swordsman and she would watch him from the skies. He would carry on her will, even if he died trying. The numbness he had been feeling started to fade away, replaced with a roaring fire.


	2. Home

Thanks so much for checking out the second chapter! Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, I try to edit as best as I can! Since I have no beta reader, please feel free to point em' out! Thanks to the guest who pointed out a big mistake I made in this chapter. Edited: 3/6/16

* * *

It was a little bit before dawn when Zoro woke up. He tossed and turned all night, finally giving up when the sun started to peek over the horizon. He laid in bed for a long time, thinking of Kunia's promise and how he needed to become stronger. He missed his sister already, the ache in his heart was nearly unbearable, but he knew he had to keep looking forward. That's all he could do now, that's what she would want him to do. She was always so strong... Zoro grabbed some clean clothes before heading to the bathroom. He took his morning piss and then took quick shower (lucky for them the water ran from a well). He quickly got changed and stopped by his room to get his swords before heading down stairs. He knew he had to walk through the day room to get to the kitchen, so he steeled himself and quickly walked through, only looking back for a split second as he went down the hallway. Halfway to the kitchen, he stopped and slowly walked backwards to look into the day room once again.

He gasped when he saw an empty sofa. His sister's body no longer laying there. _She's gone. What? How could she be gone?! Did dad bury her already?_ Zoro stepped back into the hallway and rushed to his father's room. He knocked on the door loudly until he heard his father's voice, then stormed into the room.

"I thought you said we couldn't bury her until today?! Why did you do it without me!?" Zoro yelled.

Koshiro looked at his son with confusion, his eyes glazed with dark bags under them. "What are you talking about? I haven't done anything. I have been asleep all nigh- Well, I've been in my room all night."

Now it was Zoro's turn to look confused. "Well how do you explain Kunia's body going missing! It's not like she got up and walked away!"

As soon as the words left Zoro's mouth, his father and him felt a shock of fear. _No… That's impossible. You have to be bitten to get the virus!_

"We need to find her." Koshiro said gravely as he got up off the bed. He quickly put on a robe, grabbed his sword and followed Zoro out of the room, limping. Both were quiet as they looked around the dojo. They first looked in the training rooms in the back and made their way to the front one room at a time. Once they reached the main hallway they were both surprised to see the front door was half open. The wooden plank that was across the door was broken in two on the floor and the door was hanging off its hinges.

"Zoro, how did you not notice this when you came down stairs?" Koshiro scholded.

Zoro chose to ignore his father's comment and shoved the door open with one of his sheathed swords. The door fell to the ground, as the force of pushing it broke the last bits of the hinges. They both took a step outside and was shocked to see Kunia down the driveway, standing in front of the gate.

"K-Kunia?" Zoro called as he started to rush towards her.

"Zoro! Wait!" Koshiro yelled as he pulled Zoro back by his collar.

Zoro whipped around looking furious. "Dad! Shes alive! What's your problem!"

Koshiro shook his head. "No, son. She's not."

"But-" Zoro's words were cut off by the sound of something heavy falling on the ground. Both looked forward to see Kunia pulling and pushing down the wall her and Zoro built together, causing the concrete bricks to fall.

"Baka! What are you doing?!" Zoro screamed as he lunged forward.

Zoro got halfway down the driveway when he started to hear a weird hum. Or was it more like a clicking? Zoro paused and looked around, trying to find the source.

"Zoro! Get back here! The horde is coming!" Koshiro called out.

Zoro looked back at his face, confused. _The horde? Is that was that sound is? How can that be?_ Zoro started to walk back up the driveway, but then realized they still needed to deal with Kunia.

"Wait, Dad. What about Kunia? We can't just leave her here."

"Zoro! Forget about that right now! Come here!"

Zoro ignored his father and ran back down the driveway towards his sister.

"Kunia… Kunia!" Zoro screamed as he walked up to his sister.

Once Zoro was standing directly behind his sister he quickly put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her to turn around. He could barely register his father yelling at him, all he could focus on was Kunia's face. She was pale everywhere. Her skin looked lavender and her eyes were pale like a blind person. He then noticed the unnatural way her neck and head tilted to the side. White gunk was dripping out of her nose, eyes and ears. While dark red, almost black bile dripped from the corners of her mouth.

It took Zoro a second too long to register the danger he just put himself in, which gave his sister… No. Gave this roamer a chance to attack. The roamer lashed out with its mouth, trying to bite Zoro's arm that was still near its shoulder. Zoro hopped back, before pulling out one of his swords.

"Please, stop… I don't want to do this." Zoro begged the roamer.

Zoro slowly backed up as the roamer shuffled towards him. He could hear his father again, the words slowly starting to form in his mind.

"Zoro! Just leave her! The horde! The gate!"

Zoro took his eyes off the roamer in front of him to look past it. The wall in front of the gate was pretty much ruined, but that wasn't what put the fear into Zoro. Standing beyond the gate were more roamers then he had ever seen before. They all seemed to be crowding around it, trying to push in. He knew it was only a matter of time until they did. The only option him and his father had was to run.

 _God damn it. I made too much noise, now they know where in here… Fuck!_ Zoro's thoughts were cut off when the roamer in front of him lunged at him again. Zoro instantly held his sword out, piercing the roamers stomach. The roamer, not noticing being stabbed in the gut, lifted one of its arms and tried to grab Zoro's head. Zoro tilted to the side to avoid being grabbed, but the roamer, instead, clawed at the left side of his face.

Bright, hot, searing pain suddenly overtook Zoro's senses. He kicked the roamer off his swords and then fell down on his ass. He clutched the left side of his face with one hand, the other still holding his sword.

"Zoro! Get up! We have to go!"

He could feel his father pulling him up to his feet and rushing him into the dojo. As soon as they got inside Koshiro got a good look at Zoro's bleeding wound.

"How bad is it?" Zoro questioned with no emotion.

Koshiro pursed his lips before stepping back from his son. "I can't really tell, but it looks like she got your eye real good. You're going to have a scar and i'm not sure if you will be able to use your left eye anymore… but I don't think you have been infected, which was the main issue."

Zoro nodded and tried to block out the pain.

"Zoro, you need to go up stairs quickly and get your bag. We need to leave now, I don't think that the-" Koshiro was interrupted by the sound of metal bending and clanging. "Shit."

Zoro stared shocked at his father, he had never heard him curse before. Things were getting serious.

"That sounded like that gate! Go get your bag now!" His father yelled while hobbling off to get his own.

Zoro bounded up the stairs and went to his room. He thanked his lucky stars that his sense of direction chose to work in the moment. He reached his room in seconds and grabbed his bag off the floor. Zoro then got onto the floor and reached under his bed. He pulled out a long travel case for his swords. He stood up flung the sword case onto his back and ran back down stairs. As soon as he reached the first floor he was greeted by two roamers stumbling around the entryway.

Zoro whipped out a swords and decapitated both Roamers with in seconds. Dark blood splattered on the walls when Zoro flicked his wrist.

"Zoro!" Koshiro called.

Zoro turned to see his father standing in the day room calling him over. Zoro rushed to him and they both ran towards the back of the Dojo.

"Dad, Where are we going to go?"

"There's a storage facility about 5 miles west from here. I spent months clearing it out and reinforcing the area. We will go there." Koshiro huffed as they made their way through the Dojo.

Once they reached the training room with backyard access, they stopped for a minute.

"Hows your eye?" Koshiro asked as he peaked out the back door. Roamers were already shuffling around in the backyard.

Zoro winched when he tried to open his left eye. "Not too good. It hurts like hell. I need to clean it up so you can check how bad the damage is."

"That will have to wait. Ok, here's what we're going to do. You stay on my right side, were going to move quickly to the back gate then head left."

Zoro nodded before asking, "Do you have the gate keys? I thought K-. She had them."

His father looked sad for a moment, before his usual straight face appeared once again. "No, I don't. I will just have to cut the chain off. Now, are you ready?"

A determined look crossed Zoro's face as he nodded. Now was not the time to be upset. Both his and his father's lives were on the line and his sister would never forgive them for dying too.

Koshiro paused for a moment before sliding the back door open with great force and rushing outside, with Zoro right behind him. As they ran towards the back gate, they had to take down a few roamers they were in the way, but they made it to the gate in one piece. Koshiro quickly cut the chain on the gate with Kunia's sword and pulled Zoro out with him. They ran forward a bit before turning left. Both were silent on there trip to the storage facility.

Even though the situation was grim, Zoro could not help but feel the tiniest bit elated. This was the first time he had been allowed in the outside world in over a year. As he breathed in the piney air of the forest that surrounded them, he listened to birds chirping and watched the sun above then peek through the trees. Zoro felt a peace for just a moment, but it was soon ruined by the harsh memories of loss. He lost his sister, he lost his home, he lost almost everything with in less than 24 hours. He realized that what he was feeling was what billions of people must of felt when CCV first hit. His problems suddenly felt small in comparison.

It took him and his father less than a hour to reach the storage facility. They had lucked out and hadn't run into and roamers or necrotics on the way. His father lead him through a clearing. In front of them was a collection of long metal buildings. It had a high metal gate surrounding the area. As Zoro got closer he could see each building had many light blue garage type doors every few feet.

As they got close to the gate his father suddenly turned right and walked along it. After a few moments the reached a part of the gate that was missing a few of its bars, but instead had piece of wood leaned up against it.

Koshiro removed the piece of wood and threw his bag through the opening then crawled thought. Zoro followed without a word. Koshiro got up, walking a few feet before picking up the missing bars off the ground. He then put them back in place on the gate.

"Follow me. Keep your sword ready just in case." Koshiro said as he walked closer to the building.

Zoro nodded in reply and rested a hand on one of his swords at his side. It only took a few minutes to reach the nearest building. Once the reached it, they went around it and headed to the front of the complex. After passing 4 buildings, the reached the fifth. They walked down the side until the reached a light blue door with the number 3002 painted on the front.

"Here we are." Koshiro said. He started to rummage through his bag until he pulled out a set of keys. He got close to the left side of the door where a giant lock kept the door shut. After a few second the door was unlocked and Koshiro returned the keys to his bag.

"Help me lift the door up." Koshiro asked. Zoro nodded then set down his bag and sword case on the ground. He bent over in front of the door and pulled it up using the small handles had on each side. It took a few tugs to get the rusted gears to start moving, but after that the door slid up without a problem. Before Zoro even looked inside, he turned around and grabbed his belongings. Turning back he sees a medium sized room full of junk.

"Um, Dad… What is this place again?" Zoro asked tentatively.

His father hummed as he stepped into the room. "Just wait and see."

His father then grabbed a flashlight that was laying on one of the many boxes lying about the room before turning to his son.

"Close the door."

Zoro was hesitant, but then closed it. They stood in darkness for a brief moment before Koshiro managed to turn the flickering flashlight on.

"Come this way." His father said as he walked towards the back of the room. Zoro followed quietly until they reached the back. On the right wall was a large wood and glass case. Inside there were creepy porcelain dolls lined up on each shelf. Half were broken, missing chunks of their faces or eyes. The other half were eerily clean, like their owner just finished washing the frilly clothing and polishing their faces.

"Well, those are fucking terrifying." Zoro mutters.

Koshiro laughs silently, he couldn't help but agree.

"We have to move this to the side, there will be an opening behind it."

"An opening?" Zoro questioned, but does not receive an answer as Koshiro motiones for him to grab the side of the case to push it.

The case is surprisingly heavy, but they both manage to move it a few feet to the right.

Zoro steps back and Koshiro points the flashlight's beam of light at the human sized hole in the wall.

"What's in there?"

"Our real hideout. This room is just the entrance. It would be bad if someone followed us and tried to attack. This way, we will be able to hear what happening and make our escape. I connected 4 of the storage rooms. Each has its own purpose. This one is the entrance, the second one is the main. Kind of like a day room, and where we can eat. The third is the sleeping area plus storage. The last one is the bathroom plus emergency exit. Now let's go and I will show you around." Koshiro says before getting on his hands and knees. He tosses his back through the hole before crawling through.

Zoro had to admit, the setup was pretty clever. He followed his father through the hole, pushing his belongs in front of him. Once he gets through, he stands up then brushes the dust and dirt off his pants. When he finishes he takes a look around to see a makeshift kitchen towards the front of the storage unit and a small sitting area in the middle. The back wall was covered in weapons and maps.

Zoro turns to his father and nods in approval. Koshiro sends his son a sad smile before speaking. "It's not much, but it will be home for now. I tried to make it as comfortable as possible."

Zoro shook his head. "You did great dad. Better than anything I would of come up with."

Koshiro nods and smiles. "Ok, well let me show you around."

Zoro agrees and follows his father around their new… home. After the short tour, Koshiro sits his son down in the main room to clean his wound. After grabbing a medic kit, Koshiro cleans the wounds and grimaces at the damage.

"You are definitely going to have a scar. As for your eye, I'm not too sure if you will be able to use it. I'm going to stitch up what I can, but keep your eye closed until it heals. Opening your eye might make things worse... I think."

Zoro doesn't even flinch from the pain, too emotionally and physically tired to care. "Allright, thanks."

After Zoro's father finishes, he wraps the area with some bandages and sends Zoro to the sleeping area for some rest. As Zoro lays down on one of the small cots on the floor, he look with his good eye to the side, seeing the third cot. He wonders what his sister would say right now. She would probably call him an idiot for worrying so much. Zoro couldn't help but worry, with in 24 hours, his life has become a mess. He realized he took what he had for granted and not things will never be the same. Exhausted, he tries not to think about the ache in his chest as he drifts off to sleep.

* * *

Any reviews, advice, or thoughts are greatly appreciated! They really motivate me to continue writing!


	3. Clashing Swords

The next few weeks for Zoro and his father were uneventful. They spent most their time scavenging from a town close by and looking around to find new back up hideouts. Even though both were still suffering the loss of Kunia, Zoro felt more free than he had in a long time. His father still prefered to work alone, leaving Zoro behind more often than not, but Zoro enjoyed it when he got the chance to explore the world.

Unfortunately, as Zoro was starting to really understand, peace will not stay around forever. Especially during the damn apocalypse. Koshiro left early one morning to head to a small church he and Zoro found the week before. Koshiro has been fortifying it and clearing the area of any roamers for the last few days. Zoro was not expecting him till just before night fall and was very surprised to hear his father returning after only a few hours. As Koshiro was moving the case by the hidden entrance, Zoro heard a loud scraping noise and a crash. As his father quickly slipped through the opening, he wheezed out, "Zoro! Pack up now!"

"Dad? Whats wrong? What was that noise?"

"Kaigun. They saw me on my way to the church and chased me back here. We need to leave now! They probably broke the gate just now." Koshiro huffs.

Zoro feels lost for a moment before he rushes to the sleeping area to pack his bag. Within seconds he was packed and ready to go. He had to wait on his father but soon they both were in the bathroom and were heading outside through the secret exit. Once they were in open air, they could see three giant black armored trucks parked on top of the fence they ran over, Roamers were slowly shuffling through the opening.

"Shit, Let's go. Were going to the church." Koshiro says as he peeks around the corner of the storage unit. "Ok, I see at least 6 people. If we keep going straight and then turn left, we should be able to escape without being seen."

Zoro nodded in agreement, heart pounding and head full of worrying thoughts as he followed his father and ran across an open area. They both stopped running once they were hidden by another set of storage units. They did this twice until they needed to turn left. Koshiro stopped and whispered to his son. "This isn't looking good. There are roamers everywhere now and those Kaigun Corp people are getting too close to our exit. We need a distraction."

Zoro looked at his father, fear clear in his young eyes. "Dad, don't do anything stupid. We will figure something out..."

Koshiro did not reply but gave his son a sad smile. After a few minutes of watching, Koshiro came up with a plan. "It's the only thing that will work…"

"What?" Zoro questions.

"I will distract them and you head to the church. I will-"

"No, Dad! You can't do that! I can't lose you too!" Zoro insists.

"Zoro, listen to me. I will be ok, my top priority is to keep you safe. All i'm going to do is run across the courtyard, attract their attention on me. After that I will get to the front and escape where the fence is down. While I do that, You head for the exit and go to the church. I will have to take the long way around but I should be there after an hour or two." Koshiro pauses to look around the corner again. He sees a couple of the Kaigun people taking down some roamers. They're getting closer.

"We don't have much time… Take your sisters sword, give me one of yours." he says as he pushes the sword in Zoro's arms. "If i'm not back by sundown…"

"Dad! Don't say things like that!" Zoro interrupts.

Koshiro grabs his son, pulling him in for a hug, grabbing one of the swords at his side, before pushing him away. "Go. Go now!" He yells as he turns around and sprints out into the open.

Zoro is frozen for a moment as he watches his father. He shakes his head and starts to run himself. He can't let down his father, he knows his father will make it. Zoro refuses to turn around. He knows if he does he will try to help his father. He can hear the yells of those people alerting each other of his father presence.

Zoro is out of breath when he finally makes it to the back fence. He runs along it until he sees the piece of wood that hides the missing bars. Once he reaches it, he quickly pushes the wood out of way and slips through the opening. He then runs straight into the tree line. Zoro hides behind a large tree while he catches his breath. A gun shot breaks the silence, making him jump. He whips his head to the side to peak around the tree. He can't see anything or anyone. Shit… Dad. You better be ok.

Zoro's heart races at the thought of losing his father. He can't stand the dread of not knowing so he decides to run around the perimeter of the storage units, to see if he can find his dad. He runs quickly, hiding behind trees as he moves along. After a few minutes he is able to see the front fence.

He ducks down behind a large bush, and watches the people and roamers milling about. He sees a weird girl in a maid outfit, a extremely tall man wearing a rather horrid pink feather coat, and a another tall man in a yellow-ish pinstripe suit.

Who the hell are these pe- Zoro's thought was cut off when he sees his father being dragged by two men up to the pink guy. His first instinct was to run out and kill each and everyone of them, but he knew that it could mean both his father's and his own deaths if he did. He decides to watch and wait. Maybe, he could find a way out of this mess without killing them all.

"Fufufufu, you sure like to run don't you?" The pink man snickers.

"Mhhh, he muuust have a lot of- staaaaamina." The yellow man drawls.

"Do you need me to kill him, Young Master?" The maid girl says.

"Not right now, Baby. I'll need you later though."

The girl twirls around with sparkles in her eyes. "Young Master needs me!"

"Wellllll, why did yooou run from… usss?" The yellow man speaks as he circles around Zoro's father.

Koshiro spits blood on the ground before speaking, "Your bad people."

"Fufufufu. Now why would you say that, old man?" The pink man spoke.

"Doesn't matter, now let me go!" Koshiro demands, which earns him a kick in the gut by one of the men holding him.

"Shut up! You will answer Young Master correctly when he asks you a question!" One of the henchmen screams as he kicks Koshiro repeatedly.

Zoro was livid. His jaw was clamped tight, knuckles white, and he was visibly shaking. That fucking asshole has one more chance, if he kicks dad again I will cut his head off!

"Now what was I saying? Oh yes, why do you think were bad people?"

"You kidnap people! I know Kiagun has something to do with this virus! You won't get away with it!" Koshiro snaps.

"He knowsss… too much…" The yellow man says.

"I agree. Baby, kill him." The pink man says as he walks back to one of the trucks.

"Yes, Young Master!" The girl says with glee.

Zoro can't even speak before he see the girl's arm turn into a rifle. He is speechless at the spectacle. A real d evil fruit user… I can't believe it.. Coming back from a daze, he realizes that his father's life is in danger. He jumps up and pulls out two of his swords. As he takes a step forward he hears a twig snap behind him. He whips around to see a roamer stumbling towards him. He quickly slashes at the Roamer, lopping its head off in one quick strike. He turns back around to run to his father's aid when a loud bang assaulted his ears. He watches dumbly as his father's body crumples to the ground.

"No… No… NO. NO. NO! NO! NOOOOO!" Zoro screams as he falls to his knees, hands clutching his chest as he starts to sob.

His cries draw the attention of the group of… murders.

"Hey look! I think that kid knows this guy! Hahah! Look at his face! What's wrong kid? Did she shoot your daddy?! Hahahah!" One of the men who were holding Zoro's father taunts.

Zoro shoots up to his feet, grabbing his swords. Inside of him, something snaps. Something that may be broken forever. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" He screams, rushing forward, tears blurring his sight.

"Young Master? What should we do with the kid?" The maid girl asks.

"Shoot him, Kizaru." The pink man says while getting into the truck.

Zoro cuts through the fence in front of him, and charges at the group.

"You…shichibuki are… so bossy." Kizaru drawls, as he points a finder at Zoro.

"Bye bye, boy." The maid girl says, waving.

Zoro sees red, lunging at the girl. Just as he was about to wring his sword, a sharp piercing pain rips through his gut. He instantly drops his swords in surprise, the falls to his knees. Zoro looks down at himself, and see blood soaking his shirt.

"Fuck. That hurt." He grunts.

The laughing man starts right back up again, falling to the ground in a fit of giggles. Zoro's eye site starts to blur even more and he can feel himself falling on his side. Slowly, slowly, his eyes shut and he falls unconscious. The last thing he saw, was his father's crumpled form.

Zoro wakes up with a shock, sitting up quickly, and looking around. He immediately falls back and clutches his gut, groaning in pain. He feels warm liquid on his hands and knows his still bleeding out. He looks up and sees the sun is setting. How the hell? How am I alive? How did I not get eaten? Zoro sits up slowly this time, and takes a better look. He can see roamers standing all around, but they seem to not be moving. Weird… Wait.. DAD!

Zoro quickly looks around till he sees his father and he slowly crawls over until he can pull his father on his back. Zoro looks at his dad's face and quickly turns away. His face is gone. There's nothing left except clumps of flesh, bone and brains. Fresh tears start to fall down his cheeks. He feels the despair wrap around his heart, freezing it solid. Zoro stuffs his fist in his mouth as he trying to dampen his screams of agony. Alone. Alone. I'm all alone! I have no one! Everyone is gone! I'm going to die. I just want to die. Morbid thoughts flow through his head like a raging tide, consuming him, becoming him.

After what seems like hours, somewhere from deep inside tells Zoro he needs to get up and move. He can't sit here forever surrounded by a bunch of weird frozen roamers that could turn on him at any second. I kinda wish they would though... I don't have to be alone then... Zoro slowly gets to his feet, still clutching his wound. He walks over to his forgotten swords and returns them to their sheaths. He looks at his father's body once more, knowing that he won't be able to bury him in his condition. He says a small prayer for his father's soul then trudges off to gather his bags. As he walks past the storage units, he finally realizes why all the zombies in the areas aren't moving. They're all stuck on string. Zoro tries to cut it with one of his swords, but it just bounces off back into his face. He gives up after a few tries and continues on his way.

After grabbing his bags, Zoro does some quick first aid by wrapping up his stomach. Luckily for him, the bleeding has mostly stopped, but his will still need to give himself some stitches. Numb and almost completely unaware of his surroundings, Zoro made his way to the small church. He ran into a few roamers on the way, but quickly dispatched them all. Half regretting that he didn't just let them eat him. Once he finally made it, he quickly got inside and made sure all the doors and windows were locked up and safe. He spent the first hour cleaning and sewing up his wound. The next two hours he spent counting the tiles on the walls. The next 5 he spent thinking and staring up at the ceiling. Once daylight came, he was finally able to turn off his thoughts and get some rest.

* * *

10 Months Later

SWOOSH! Shlick. Crunch. Crunch. Plop. Another roamer fell to the ground as Zoro cleared a street of its undead inhabitants. He twirled around, lopping a head off a roamer with a quick swipe of his swords. A group of three were coming towards him. He crosses his arms to prepare for his attack. A feral grin splits his face as he straightens out each arm, pushing them out and to the side. Three roamer head's roll on the ground, there decaying bodies falling into a heap. Zoro pauses for a moment to take a look around. No more roamers are on the street. He is alone, listening to the deafening silence. He places both swords back into their sheaths, and starts to walk down the street, one hand on kuina's sword at his side. His last reminder of home. As he walks, he stops by store entrances to see if there might be any supplies left. Each one looks ransacked to the maximum, so he moves on.

As Zoro was about to cross the street, out of habit he looked both way. He looks to the right, nothing. He looks to the left, nothin- Wait… What is that? Down the street, he spies what looks like a man, leaning on a telephone poll like its was the most normal thing to do. Zoro's intrest is peaked so he slowly starts to get closer. Is that a Roamer? Or is it a human? Please… Let it be a human. After being alone for almost a year, Zoro was desperate for human contact. He just hopped that if the person was human, it wasn't one of those Kigun people he has worked so hard to avoid.

The sound of Zoro's boots crunching on the road alerted the figure of his presence. The figure turns around and watches Zoro slowly get closer. Zoro paused for a moment when the figure turned but then continued to walk up to the person.

"Hello?" Zoro called out, voice gruff from not being used for so long.

The figure said nothing. As Zoro got closer, he could see that the figure was indeed a man. He wore a big hat and seemed to have a giant cross on his back. Wait? Giant cross? Doesn't the world's greatest swordsman have a sword in the shape of a giant cross?

"Mihawk?" Zoro calls out.

The man steps forward, "You know me?"

Zoro's eyes open wide in shock. Mihawk!? This man is actually Mihawk!

"Yes!" Zoro says eagerly. "You're the greatest swordsman in the world! I have been wanting to duel with you since I learned about you."

The two swordsman were now only a few feet from each other. Mihawk takes a good look at the younger males form.

"You are much too young to even be thinking about a duel with me." Mihawk says before he starts to turn around.

"Wait! I am not too young! I am strong and I will be the strongest swordsman in the world! I made a promise and I won't stop till I reach my goal!" Zoro argues.

Mihawk huffs before turning back. "I can admire your conviction, but you are foolish. You are no match for me."

Zoro growls and pulls out two of his swords. "I will make you eat those words! Defend yourself!" He cries out as he lunges forward.

Mihawk barely moves as he tips to the side, making Zoro miss his mark. He then grabs the cross necklace around his neck and pulls out the small dagger hidden within.

"You must be suicidal, but let's see who eats what, shall we?"

Zoro fumes, "What the hell is that? You expect me to fight you with that tiny dagger?! Are you insane?"

Mihawk lunges, Zoro barely reacting fast enough to avoid being stabbed in the shoulder. "See, this is plenty enough for me to beat you."

Zoro ignores the taunt and slashes out with both of his swords. Mihawk jumps back, the weapon in his hand glimmering in the sunlight. Zoro growls and pulls out his sister's sword, placing it between his teeth.

Mihawk raises on perfectly shaped eyebrow in question, "Three swords? I've never seen such a thing. Can you even fight with that in your mouth?"

"Just watch me cut your head off with it." Zoro grunts as he attacks again.

Mihawk was the tiniest bit impressed, but he would never let a child lay a finger on him. He blocks all three swords with his tiny dagger, pushing forcefully enough to send Zoro backwards. The young swordsman does not give up, he lunges once again.

Zoro's swords spark and clang as they meet the dagger again. He steps back, freeing his weapons and moves to attack again, but before he even realizes it, the dagger held by the man he dreams to defeat, his stabbed in his chest. Zoro freezes, not from the pain, but of pure shock. How... How am I still so weak...

Mihawk watched the younger swordsman, confused. "Why don't you step back? Are you really suicidal like I thought?"

Zoro utters something that sounds like a laugh. "Maybe I am. All I know is if I step back, I'll be admitting defeat. I won't break my promise."

"Even if you die?"

"I would rather die!"

The dagger is quickly ripped from Zoro's chest and Mihawk takes one step back. That conviction... He will survive this hell and once it's over, he may just be able to take my head.

"What is your name, child?"

"Zoro. Roronoa Zoro."

"I'll remember it. Prepare for death." Mihawk returns the dagger to its place around his neck, and pulls his famous swords from his back.

Zoro grits at the pain in his chest, but holds up his swords in defence. As Mihawk lunges, he twirls his swords around screaming around the swords in his mouth, "SANTOURYUU OUGI! SANZEN SEKA!"

In a flash, it is over. The two swords in his hands, shatter on impact and he knew in that second, he was no match. He drops his broken swords and sheaths his sisters. He turns around to face his opponent once again.

"What are you doing?!" Mihawk wonders out loud.

"A wound on the back is a swordsman's shame." Zoro says with a bloody smile.

"Wonderful!"

With that, Mihawk unleashes his final attack, one slice across Zoro's chest. Blood gushes from the wound and Zoro falls to the ground gasping for air.

Mihawk returns the swords to his back and looks down at the young swordsman, "Don't die yet, child. You still have much work to do. I'll be waiting for you at the top. Claim my head when you can." Zoro only coughs up blood in reply, before falling unconscious.

He turns on his heels and starts to walk away. As he does, he notices a small boy wearing an oddly familiar strawhat watching from a rooftop, looking like he just seen the most amazing thing in the world. He nods once at the boy and flicks his eyes over to the body on the ground. The boy smiles wide and jumps off the roof, landing without a scratch. Mihawk doesn't bother to watch the boy any further, as he knows he will help the young swordsman. He continues on his journey without giving it another thought, working for Kaigun always kept him busy.

* * *

Next chapter will be introducing/following Luffy. Thanks for reading.


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